Work begins on three Mekong Delta bridges

SOC TRANG (VNS) — Ground was broken for two bridges in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Soc Trang on Saturday at a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Speaking at the event, Minh stressed the importance of the Dai Nghia 1 and 2 bridges linking Soc Trang and Tra Vinh provinces, saying they were among the biggest transport projects in the delta to date and would make a great contribution to socio-economic development and national security.

"The construction of the Dai Nghia Bridges … also proves the Government's special attention to the two provinces that still face many difficulties."

Once complete they, together with the Rach Mieu, Ham Luong and Co Chien bridges, would help traffic flow more efficiently on Highway 60, he said.

The two bridges will shorten by 70 kilometres the distance between HCM City and Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau, and help ease traffic on Highway 1A.

The VND5.73 trillion (US$254.7 million) bridges are also expected to help improve the efficiency of infrastructure projects, ports and key economic sectors in the delta, enabling the delta's development.

Minh instructed the Ministry of Transport to help complete the necessary procedures for the work to ensure its progress and quality.

He also directed the governments of Soc Trang and Tra Vinh to outline plans to rehabilitate people living in areas affected by the project and quickly hand over the lands required for it.

He urged the builders to ensure the bridges are completed on schedule and meet quality standards.

The construction is due to start in the first quarter of 2016 and finish in the last quarter of 2018.

Dai Nghia Bridge No1 will be 2.24 kilometres long and 16 meters wide, and have four lanes.

Dai Nghia Bridge No2 will have a length of 0.86km and width of 16 metres. They will be built under build-operate-transfer mode.

On the same day, the Deputy PM attended a ceremony to mark the start of Chau Doc Bridge construction in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang's Chau Doc City.

The 3.26-km construction is invested under the Build-Operate-Transfer scheme with a total investment of VND949 billion ($42.2 million).

Upon the bridge's completion in 2018, it is expected to reduce the travelling time between Chau Doc City and Tan Chau Town from one hour to just half an hour. — VNS